Travel Light. Carry Only What You Need.

Today I am making a choice not to be weighed down by circumstances -- past or present, nor by events beyond my control. I choose to be joyful. I choose to be energetic -- in spite of a big headache which can't seem to be resolved by a strong pill.

I learned that those who live by grace travel light.

I Heart Flowers

Deeply shocked over the turn of events today. One high-ranking official accused for plunder and corruption shot himself to death in front of his parents' graves. The local social networks are abuzz with distasteful words. Judgments fly in the face of investigative proceedings. A pandora's box had been opened and many must be shaking, contemplating an escape.

There is too much negativity inundating my sensibilities. Turning to life-giving matters, matters...so much --- lest i become worn down and world-weary.

And that is why i heart flowers.

I Heart You

Funny how today's younger set express their love for someone or something by substituting the word heart for the word love. "I heart you." "I heart this pair of shoes." "I heart that movie." The heart does represent so much. Probably to get far from being cheesy with the overuse of the word love, heart sounds more hip, and so now.

Words evolve. People evolve. I have no problem with the word heart. Whatever form or shape it takes, as long as love is expressed and felt then i'll take "I heart you" anytime.

Love is a Flower

Yep, February is in the door. There will be a deluge of adverts for making Valentine's Day special. Be prepared for chocolates, stuffed toys, hotels and trips, jewelry, dining, concerts, and yes, flowers. Lest we succumb to commercialism and make everything overly familiar and boring it would be good to revisit the motivation behind those things. Then perhaps, appreciate better the heart behind the gestures and the spirit behind those ubiquitous gifts.

Delightful, colorful, calming, healing...of all Valentine's Day gifts, flowers are the most popular by far.

Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Rutgers explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction in a 10-month study of participants' behavioral and emotional responses to receiving flowers. The results show that flowers are a natural and healthful moderator of moods.

1. Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. All study participants expressed "true" or "excited" smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups.

2. Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.

3. Flowers make intimate connections. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.

"Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy," said Dr. Haviland-Jones. "Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being."

With that let me just get some flowers for my husband, my children, and friends. Love is in those flowers.

Soft Sweet Tender

Just got up from a very satisfying siesta. I feel as if all of my cells went to sleep and now the whole of me is calm, rested, serene...happy. Treating myself to this kind of self-care is being soft, sweet and tender with my person. All is good in my world.

Details Create the Big Picture

Photo by pete+'s photos on Flickr

"A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching."

~~Sivananda

It is always beneficial to take the time to reflect on how i am relative to the people in my life. This is when i think about the little things that make up that entity (the relationship itself) forged by the many ways we have interacted, thought about each other, sacrificed for, fought with, taken for granted, made up with, stricken out of the heart roster, unfriended on facebook, and so on.

Many times we yearn for the big moves --- those carefully planned expressions of affection designed to make impact. Surprise parties, expensive gifts, and such. But what sustains the connection for me are the little everyday things that speak loudly of fondness, kindness, respect, thoughtfulness...

I fondly recall the time, many many years ago, for instance, when i came home from work for lunch on my birthday. I was not expecting anything from my husband who just got out of treatment and from my kids who were barely school age. But what a heart-warming surprise i got when i was asked to be seated at the table, fitted with a napkin, and handed a meticulously hand-written menu of the simplest of fare by them. It did not have to be gourmet. They certainly were not dressed formally -- the only mark that they were dressed special was the use of aprons. It was the heart pumped into the whole thing. 18 years have passed and i still remember everything with clarity. That, though simple, is a grand gesture.

And now the simple stuff...
While watching tv, a tray of snacks appear without asking for it. Shoes get shined. Sweet text messages that are basically nonsense get passed back and forth. Packed lunches prepared early in the morning, getting picked up from work so family does not have to hurdle hanging on straps in public transport...And how about the biting of the tongue to suppress a mean word, having time out to get ready to explain a point in better demeanor. Deliberate love. There is so much to tally, really, when we take the time to think about the good in each other...That spells the biggest difference.

Breathe Easy

Photo by Timothy K. Hamilton's photos on Flickr

A couple of days ago i got another invitation to a Silent Retreat. Too bad i cannot join this batch -- a mix of lay and pastoral people, seekers, acquaintances and friends, strangers, and regular folk who desire to take a meaningful and very restful break sans any form of distraction (and noise) from electrical implements and technological devices.

A couple of years ago when i participated i got a good three days of just resting in silence, communing solely with my self, with nature, and with my bed even (retreatants are given the liberty to sleep as long as they want). It was a much welcome "wasting of time" and boredom for the harried and harrassed of us. Aside from the temporary stepping back from the usual rhythm of my life, the retreat helped me to gain new perspective on stuff in my life i needed to see differently. Much as it was an opportunity to learn new things about myself it also gave me a chance to remember and feel again essentials i have forgotten. Stuff like gratitude, simplicity, contentment. There are some things we can learn, or know, or remember only in silence.

And best of all as i hid nothing from my Maker and opened myself up to His whispers, i received a pervading sense of precious peace. I rediscovered the goodness and strength in me. And despite the struggles and challenges still waiting for me on my return, i could breathe easy.